Life's Little Plans
by Arianna11
Summary: Padma had everything planned out, but life had other ideas... GeorgeW and PadmaP Chapter 12 has been revised!
1. Even the Best Laid Plans Go Wrong

This will be my second story, the first being an Oliver Wood/ Katie Bell fic that's very close to being finished. This pairing is a bit odd if I say so myself. I actually got the idea after reading Breaking the Rules by Angel of the North at the Sugarquill. It was very well written and made me wonder, what if… So here's my Padma/George story…

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Potter. Um, duh…

**_Even the Best Laid Plans Go Wrong_**

It was with a sour look that Padma Patel watched her twin sister, Parvati, kiss Ernie McMillan at the other end of their table at the Leaky Cauldron.

At that moment, Padma hated the former Hufflepuff. As far as she was concerned, he had ruined her life. The plan had always been for her and Parvati to share a flat and own their own dress shop in their native India after their graduation from Hogwarts. With Parvati's fashion sense and Padma's Ravenclaw smarts it was sure to be a success. But Ernie ruined all of that when he proposed to Parvati mere months after graduation and asked her to help run his family's store. Parvati, in tears, had said yes. With one three letter word, all of Padma's life plans had been destroyed.

Padma was a girl who had a plan for everything and a backup plan for everything that could go wrong with that plan. It was the only way she felt comfortable. Maybe that was why she had not been able to keep the attention of her boyfriend, Roger Davies, and he was now snogging Cho Chang on a regular basis.

The one thing she had neglected to plan for was Parvati deciding she did not want to run a dress shop with her twin. She had always assumed they would. They were twins, after all, and twins stuck together no matter what. Now, Parvati knew exactly how her life would be while Padma knew nothing. She had no job, no flat, nothing, and her parents were expecting her to move out as soon as possible.

She sighed miserably.

"Are you alright?" Parvati asked.

Padma plastered a fake smile across her face. She might not like what was happening, but the other part of being a twin was always being supportive of what made the other happy.

"I'm fine, just thinking of where I should look for a job."

"You could always work in our store," Ernie offered.

The idea appealed to her for a brief second. It was guaranteed work, and she was sure to be paid pretty well since she would be related to the owners. But the idea of watching Ernie and Parvati's public displays of affection while at work made her nauseous.

"I'm afraid I have to pass. I'll find something in Diagon Alley I suppose."

"I saw that the Slug and Jiggers had a 'Help Wanted' sign in the window," Parvati told her, "You were always good in Potions."

Padma thought the idea over carefully. She had made excellent marks in potions, finishing just behind Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy.

"I suppose I could stop by before I go home, and see if they'll interview me."

"I'm sure they'd be thrilled to have you," Parvati assured her, "and you'd be working near me so we could lunch together at Fortescue's and share gossip. I'm sure we'll have tons!"

Padma forced herself to look excited at the idea, even though she could have cared less who was dating who or having whose baby.

"I'm sure it'll be great." She got up from the table and pulled on her coat and scarf. "I should be going if I want to catch the apothecary before it closes."

She started to take a few coins from her pocket, but Parvati stopped her.

"Dinner's on us, Padma. Let me know how it goes with the Apothecary, alright?"

"Sure."

Padma left the Leaky Cauldron, swallowing her anger at being given charity from her own twin. She was an independent girl, even if she did not have employment.

Fat snowflakes fell from the sky, sticking to her long dark eyelashes and hair. The shop windows of Diagon Alley were covered in festive Christmas decorations, but Padma hardly felt in the Christmas spirit. She was miserable and angry and wanted nothing more than to wallow in her own self-pity, not traipse down to Slug and Jiggers and beg for a job.

She stopped in front of the door and stared at the sign for a moment, unsure of whether or not she should actually apply. Finally, she made up her mind and walked inside.

There was a tiny jingling as she opened the door and an old man at the front counter looked up.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

She picked nervously at the fringe of her purple scarf, trying to ignore the stench.

"Well, I hope so. You, um, you have a sign advertising 'Help Wanted,' do you still need help?"

He raised his eyebrows slightly. "Is the sign still in the window?"

"Well, yes."

"Then I suppose I do."

She could feel her cheeks turn red at having her ignorance pointed out.

"I would like to apply."

"Really, now?" he said, pouring some powder into a vial, "You're hired."

Her jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

"What? Just like that?"

"Yes, just like that." He placed the vial on a shelf behind himself. "I've had that sign up for an entire year without any applicants. It wouldn't make sense for me to turn down help now would it? Or did you want to be rejected?"

She shook her head. "No, no, I need the job. That's fine."

"Good, wouldn't want to hire someone who didn't want to work here. Be here at 8 tomorrow morning, I'm expecting a very important customer."

There was another jingle as a group of people poured into the store. Padma made her way to the door through the swarm, her new boss yelling after her.

"Don't forget! 8 AM sharp!"

She was met with a gust of cold air as she stepped outside. Carolers sang loudly somewhere down the street, but the noise seemed more tolerable to Padma now. At least she had a job. If she was lucky she could hold onto it long enough to find her own flat and maybe even a better job at the Ministry. She knocked on a nearby wooden fence, finding it best not to tempt the fates.

Quickly, she ran down to the nearest fireplace connected to the floo network to go home and tell everyone the somewhat good news.

_I promise George will be here in the next chapter._


	2. The First Day is Always the Worst

_Ok, I'm resorting to begging. PLEASE read and review!_

**Disclaimer: Potter does not belong to me. Otherwise I would be a lot better off.**

**__**

**_The First Day is Always the Worst_**         

A loud scream startled Padma from her very deep sleep.

"Wake up!"

She rolled over, falling off her bed, covers and all, onto the hardwood floor. Frantic, she flailed her arms around, trying to get out from under the mass of blankets and turn off the alarm before it could rouse the entire neighborhood, but the more she struggled, the more entangled she seemed to become. Meanwhile, the alarm was reaching an earsplitting volume.

**"TIME TO WAKE UP!!!"**

Finally, she managed to kick off the covers and slam her hand onto the off button. The silence was deafening. Padma leaned against her bedside table, trying to remember why she had set her alarm for the ungodly hour of seven in the morning. Then it hit her, she had to be at the apothecary promptly at eight. She leapt up, her feet catching in the pile of blankets. She promptly fell to the floor, hitting her head on the table.

"Bloody hell!" she cried out, her head already throbbing.

More carefully this time, she got up and stumbled to her bathroom to shower.

George Weasley paced back and forth in front of the Apothecary's door, waiting for it to open. The night before, he and Fred had run out of numerous potion ingredients. They had made three times the normal amount of their products due to the impending Christmas rush and were hoping to make still more. Despite it being so early in their careers, they already rivaled Zonko's in sales.

The door swung open, and the owner, Mr. Swarthmore, allowed him inside.

"And how are you this fine morning, Mr. Weasley?" he asked.

George inspected the spices littering the front counter, looking for the familiar ingredients amongst the feathers, fangs, claws, and barrels.

"Fantastic. I notice you took down the 'Help Wanted' sign."

"I did. A very pretty young lady…"

Mr. Swarthmore did not finish his thought, for at that moment, a girl stumbled out of the fireplace, rubbing her right temple furiously. A large bruise was forming there. George recognized her instantly as one of the Patil twins, most likely Padma. He believed he would have known Parvati instantly having been in the same house as her for nearly five years.

"I'm SO sorry I'm late," she apologized frantically, "I had a little accident and…"

"It's alright, Miss…" Mr. Swarthmore paused, "I don't believe I bothered to get your name yesterday."

"Patil, Padma Patil."

"Wonderful. Please help Mr. Weasley find what he needs. He's one of our best customers."

Padma rushed to the front counter, still rubbing the bruise on her temple. One of the Weasley twins was carefully inspecting a bottle of powdered asphodel. As a twin, Padma felt that she should have been able to tell the difference between Fred and George the way Parvati could, but she had not been in their house, and they had most definitely ran in separate circles. They spent their time on the Quidditch pitch, in detention, or wreaking general havoc on the school. Padma was usually in the library or her room, studying.

"Are you finding everything alright?" she asked.

He set the asphodel back on the shelf and picked up some dragon hide.

"Yes, thank you."

"That's good, because I have no clue where anything is."

He chuckled.

"Perhaps I should give you the tour. I'm in here enough since Fred prefers to stay at the shop."

She smiled; relieved to know which one she was speaking to. She had never really spoken to any of the Weasleys except when she attended the Yule Ball with Ron her fourth year and he had not really spoken to her the whole night. It fact, the whole evening had been a disaster.

"Excuse me…"

She pushed the thoughts of the Yule Ball to the back her mind and focused her attention back on George.

"Yes."

"Does Mr. Swarthmore have any extra dragon eye pus?"

"I'll go check."

            George watched her disappear into the back and picked up a pouch filled with unicorn horn shavings. That would be for his own personal use at Oliver's upcoming birthday party. Unicorn horn, when mixed with the appropriate spells and potions, had the wonderful ability to cause _certain_ parts of a person to grow. Katie, Oliver's wife, had made the mistake of telling them no pranks would be welcome at the party. That was just asking for it.

Padma returned from the back holding several jars of a blackish substance. The bruise on her face had become a nasty purplish bump. George's curiosity got the better of him.

"What happened to your head?" he asked.

She sighed. "I tripped over my covers and walloped my head on the corner of my bedside table."

"Ouch," he grimaced, "Have you taken anything for it yet?"

She shook her head. "I could not for the life of me remember what spell or potions to use. Times like these, I miss Madame Pomfrey."

He reached out and gingerly touched the welt. "If you mix crushed mimbletonia root with your tea, it will take the swelling down and help with the pain."

She looked at him suspiciously.

"Really?"

"Trust me; I was a beater. I discovered that remedy pretty quick."

She still seemed a tad bit leery of trying his suggestion. He was, after all, one of the former Gryffindor prankster princes who gave Peeves a run for his money while at Hogwarts. Or perhaps it was because he had once given her twin a canary cream.

"Padma, I swear on Weasley Wizard Wheezes that it really will work without any odd side effects. Besides, Fred and I have matured. We only play pranks on close friends and family now."

She looked doubtful. The idea of Fred and George maturing seemed rather farfetched. There were better odds of Snape becoming obnoxiously drunk at the Leaky Cauldron and dancing around with nothing but a lampshade on his head. It was probably a better idea to ask her boss for suggestions as to how to relieve the throbbing pain in her head. Of course, then she risked looking incompetent to her employer. On the other hand, taking a potion that caused her to sprout antlers or some other ludicrous appendage would not look professional either.

Well, nothing ever came to those who risked nothing.

"Perhaps I'll try some over lunch."

            George set the bags of ingredients on the counter in the back room of their shop where they did all their inventing. Fred was leaned over a cauldron, cautiously mixing bezoar into a steaming liquid.

"Did you get everything?"

"Yeah," he began to sort the bottles out and set them in their proper places on the shelves in cabinets. "Padma Patil works there now."

The mixture in the cauldron let out a loud bang and Fred found himself covered in a periwinkle colored goo.

"Wasn't she the one that went to the Yule Ball with Ron?"

George tossed him a washcloth and towel to clean himself.

"I think so. Do we have any spare mimbletonia root?"

"Under the sink. Why?"

George looked in the cabinet below the sink and pulled out a large ceramic jar filled with mimbletonia roots. He used a large wooden staff to crush into into a powder.

"Just going to convince someone that we aren't pure mischief."

Padma tried to ignore the dull ache that had plagued her all morning, preventing her from doing any real work. Mostly, she feigned her actions and contemplated actually taking George's advice. Then she would once again come to her senses, remembering Penelope being turned into a canary when the twins had switched the chocolates Percy was going to give to her with their own special brand.

The bell jingled merrily and she winced. Every noise seemed to increase the pain.

"I brought you something."

George held out a bottle filled with a light brown liquid. Padma eyed it warily.

"The pain is gone," she lied.

He laughed.

"It's perfectly fine. I promise."

He opened the bottle and brought the rim to his lips. Half of the liquid disappeared into his mouth. A few minutes passed and nothing happened.

"See, I'm fine."

She took the bottle from him. The idea of sprouting antlers seemed much more appealing than spending the day in agonizing pain.

The liquid tasted like a very sweet warm tea. The warm feeling spread throughout her body. The ache was gone and her body was experiencing no weird changes. George merely grinned, his mission accomplished.


	3. Puce Colored Accidents

_Many thanks to Holly, who reviewed and made my day, and orliNkeira, for all her support.___

**Disclaimer: **Blah…blah…blah…I don't own Potter.

**_Puce Colored Accidents_**

The steam wafting up from the cauldron caused George's eyes to water. He had been working on this product prototype for months in hopes of having it ready for the Christmas rush. Unfortunately, no matter how many different ways he tried the recipe it always blew up in his face.

He poured in the last of the dragon eye pus he had gotten from the apothecary. The steam turned a sickening shade of puce and began emitting a peculiar smell. It reminded him a cross between rotten eggs and Ron's dirty laundry after a month of sitting under his bed. This was not the outcome he had been hoping for.

The goo bubbled out of the cauldron and formed a hard shell over the floor and part of his arm.

"Bloody Hell!" George yelled.

On the bright side, it did not blow up this time. It had taken him nearly a month to grow his eyebrows back after that incident.

Fred poked his head in the door.

"How's it coming along?" he asked.

The question was met with a glare.

"I rather think 'Bloody Hell!' explained it all."

"True."

George used his wand to put out the fire under the cauldron and then attempted to magic away the hard shell covering the floor and his arm. Nothing happened.

"I repeat: BLOODY HELL!"

Fred was extremely thankful the back room had a silencing charm on it. The hundreds of young customers, on vacation from school, looking at the various products did not need to hear obscenities being screamed from the back. It was bad for business.

George had now moved on to banging his arm against the wooden counter in hopes of shattering the puce shell. The bangs grew so loud that Fred feared the counter would break before the shell because there was not a single crack forming in the shell.

"Maybe you should go to St. Mungo's," Fred suggested.

"I refuse to spend 6 hours there waiting behind a man who has a baby hippogriff hanging from his arse."

"One time…"

"Once was enough."

This was answered with an eye roll. "At least see _someone_ about it."

"Fine," George grunted.

He grabbed his coat but was dismayed to discover that he could not pull the sleeve over his goo-covered arm. Frustrated, he threw is coat to the floor and settled for only wearing his red and gold scarf his mother made for him when he was a fourth year Gryffindor at Hogwarts.

            A blast of cold air hit him as he walked out the back door of the shop to avoid the customers. He shivered, wishing he had thought to use a stretching spell on the sleeve of his coat and worn it anyway. At least, then the Christmas shoppers pushing their ways down the street would not be staring at him.

He wandered aimlessly down the street, wondering where he could seek help. St. Mungo's was out of the question. Percy's wife Penelope worked there. She would surely tell Percy what George was treated for, and George was not in the mood for a lecture about him and Fred's "childish exploits." This was the same reason he could not walk into the Ministry and ask for help. For a brief moment, he considered asking his mother, but it would surely put her in a right state. There was no need to upset her over something that surely _someone _could fix.

The cheerful sound of Christmas carols floated down the street from a group of carolers standing in front of Quality Quidditch Supplies. George turned, tempted to hex their mouths so that only wild moans could come out. If he had to be upset, he would be damned if anyone would be allowed to be the slightest bit joyful. It was possible that he actually _would_ have hexed them had he not ran into something warm and, well, fleshy.

"Oof!" his victim cried out as they tumbled to the cobblestones.

Packages scattered everywhere. Whoever it was, George had landed right on top of them.

"Shite, I'm sorry, I wasn't looking…" he rambled apologetically.

The person pushed their hair out of their face.

"… where I was…Padma?"

"Yes," she groaned.

He turned red, realizing that he had managed to bean her in the head with the arm covered in the hard shell right where her other bruise had been a week earlier. It seemed that he was not going to catch a break.

"Are you alright? I didn't mean to wallop you again."

"Oh, I'm fine," she assured him, dusting off her skirt and collecting her multi-colored wrapped parcels, "Just knocked the wind out of me is all. The question is what happened to your arm?"

He blushed an even brighter shade of red, a shade rivaling that of the red knitted into his scarf.

"Just had a little accident with a product prototype back at the store and I can't seem to get it off."

She hesitantly touched the gunk as though it might decide to cover her, too.

"If you tell me what was in the potion, I might be able to find something at the store," she paused, "I promise I won't tell anyone what you used."

He considered this for a second. He and Fred did maintain the strictest secrecy about their products, but the prospect of having an arm covered in some sort of puce colored armor that was beginning to smell when he went to Sunday supper was not pleasing.

"Alright, but you must swear under penalty of death by my older brother Charlie's dragons that you will not tell anyone what this is."

"Penalty of death it is."

            George forced himself to stare at the wall rather than the rear end visible from where Padma was on her hands and knees searching the cupboard for Magda's Miracle Solvent. It would not be considered kosher to stare at your savior's ass no matter how lovely that ass was.

Finally, she stood up, a massive glass bottle in hand.

"I knew we had it somewhere," she said triumphantly.

"And you're sure this will work?" he asked, "I mean, it's not going to dissolve my arm or anything is it?"

"Of course not."

She took out a rag and poured some of the liquid onto it. Slowly, she rubbed it over the shell. Steam began to rise from it, but the shell was dissolving.

"So what was this _supposed_ to do?"

George sighed.

"It's supposed to be a new sort of toffee. I wanted it to become stickier as the person chewed it so that eventually they can't open their mouth," he tapped at the rapidly disappearing shell, "It wasn't supposed to become a hard shell and it most definitely was not supposed to smell."

Padma wrinkled her nose. It did smell, but a squirt of rose essence would take care of it.

The last of the shell disappeared, but the rag was now a horrid puce that reeked of old socks. She tossed it in a nearby bin.

"Try mixing in willow sap with the dragon eye pus," she suggested, "And the petals of a lily from the valley should take care of the smell."

A grin spread across George's face.

"That's brilliant!" he exclaimed, "I never would have thought of it!"

In his excitement, he hugged Padma tightly, nearly crushing her ribs. She stumbled backwards when he let go.

"Glad to help! Let me know how it goes!" she shouted as he nearly flew out of the shop.

As she went in search of rose essence to eliminate the smell before Mr. Swarthmore hobbled in to work, a goofy smile crossed her lips. At least work was always interesting.


	4. Last Minute Gifts

_Black Sheep Alone: Oops. I guess it's a good thing I don't have to take herbology. I would definitely make a T. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. _

_Lise: I'm so glad you adore my story and decided to make a point to review. Just one review makes it so much easier to keep writing._

_Triss Marigold: If the couple really intrigues you, I suggest reading Angel of the North's Breaking the Rules at the Sugarquill. It's absolutely wonderful._

_ PS: Holly, Lise, Triss, and Keira, look for your cameos coming up in the next few chapters!_

**Disclaimer: Potter's not mine. I can only wish to be as brilliant as Rowling.**

**_Last Minute Gifts_**

Padma sprawled lazily across the couch in the living room counting her pay from Mr. Swarthmore. After two weeks of work, she had already earned half of what she needed to rent her own apartment minus the money she had spent on Christmas gifts. Granted, it would be a very dingy apartment located in the middle of all the pubs, but her own apartment none the less.

The galleons made a satisfying clink as she dropped them in a tin that had once held a quart of scarab beetles.

"Padma!" her mother called from the kitchen, "As soon as I'm done with the fudge, we can leave for Aunt Keira's!"

Her stomach sank. She knew she had forgotten something: Holly, Marigold, and Lise's gifts.

"Oh, fudge," she muttered, refraining from slapping her forehead. The bruise was still there, albeit not as bad as it had previously been, but she was not interested in aggravating it further.

She tugged on her coat and hat quickly. If she hurried, she could make it to Diagon Alley before the stores closed for Christmas Eve and buy her cousins _something._

"I'll meet you there, Mum!" she called back, "I forgot to drop something off at the Apothecary for Mr. Swarthmore!"

The floo powder was in a cloth bag hanging from the fireplace mantle. She grabbed a pinch of it and made a mental note to take her apparating test as soon as Christmas was over. Floo powder, in her opinion, was not a pleasant form of travel.

"Diagon Alley!"

Green flames swirled around her body and she was jerked upwards at lightning speed.

She soon tumbled out of the fireplace choking on the smoke that she had accidentally inhaled. A few people stopped to stare at her now disheveled appearance as she sat on the snow covered cobblestones. Her skirt was bunched up around her knees and her hair had flown loose from its bun. She scrambled to her feet, red-faced; to salvage what was left of her dignity.

People hurried every which way, but, unfortunately, it seemed that they were not out to shop, for every store had a _Closed_ sign floating in the window. Every sane person in the Wizarding world was with their family, not traipsing up and down the streets of Diagon Alley looking for last minute gifts. Padma could have kicked herself. It was Christmas Eve, she was running late, and she did not have gifts for everyone.

A few random excuses ran through her head.

_My owl delivered it to the wrong person._

_I mistook it for a boggart._

_I misfired a spell, and the mistletoe ate it._

_A Weasley twin…_

She squinted into the distance. Two identical mops of red hair were outside a store, apparently locking it up.

"Wait!" she cried out as she ran down the street, all dignity forgotten, "George!"

            George turned around when he heard his name called and was surprised to see Padma running towards he and Fred in what he thought was a very

un-Padmalike way. She appeared to be quite frantic.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

She slowed to a stop.

"You have to help me. I forgot to buy my cousins presents and there isn't a single store open so I was hoping maybe you would let me buy something from your store. I'll even pay twice the price."

George stared at her, amazed that she had managed to say all of that in one breath after running down the street. He turned to Fred.                                                                                                                                                                              

"Go ahead and go back to the burrow. Tell Mum I'm with a customer and I'll be a little late."

Fred shrugged. "Alright, but I can't promise that there will be any food left when you get there. I'll try and hold off on testing the new batch of _Skivving, _though_._"

There was a loud pop and he disappeared. George quickly unlocked the front door for them.

"I can't thank you enough for this," she told him, stomping the snow off her shoes at the welcome mat, "I feel like a right prat."

He gave her the familiar lopsided smile.

"It's the least I can do since you saved our last product."

They walked slowly down the first aisle, Padma occasionally stopping to inspect a product. George watched as she absentmindedly twirled a strand of dark hair around her finger. Even looking like she had just done battle with a chimera, she was still attractive.

"You are going to give me the antidote to whatever I buy, aren't you? I'm sure I will be the victim of various pranks after this."

He laughed, forgetting what he had previously been thinking about. "I'm sure Parvati won't be happy you're buying from us either."

"She'll be positively murderous."

She picked up a few boxes of Fever Fudge and Fainting Fancies. Marigold, Holly, and Lise loved to try and get out of class, especially potions. Not that Padma blamed them.

"Did the toffee work?" she asked, "I meant to talk to you, but Fred started coming to the Apothecary instead."

"He has to go buy the supplies because of your toffee," George explained, "It's become one of our most popular products. I have to be making a new batch almost non-stop."

"_My_ toffee?"

He grabbed a purple box off of a shelf just above her head and showed it to her. The gold lettering read: _Padma's Permanently Sticky Toffees. Make that annoying prat next to you in the library shut up so you can finish your essay._

"Since you helped with the recipe, I thought you deserved some credit, even if the name isn't very good."

She blushed and played with the maroon ribbon around one of the boxes of Fever Fudge.

"It was no problem, really. Just as long as I'm never on the receiving end of a piece."

"Nope, never. We tested it on Ron. You still saved me a lot of time and a few sets of eyebrows, though." He furrowed his brow in thought and then pushed the box into her hands. "Take some. It's all on me."

"No, George," she protested, "I won't know what to do with them. Besides, won't Fred…"

"Fred won't know," he interrupted, "I'll pay for them. Besides, it's half my store."

She opened her mouth to protest again, but George interrupted her again.

"Merry Christmas, Padma."

She sighed and then, impulsively, gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Merry Christmas, George."


	5. Teeny Surprises

_film-chick101: I'd like to have more reviews, too, but I take what I can get. I'm glad you don't think this is "shit" because I'm really trying hard._

**Disclaimer: **Repeat after me, Potter does not belong to Arianna…Potter does not belong to Arianna…Potter does not belong to Arianna…

**_Teeny Surprises_**

**__**

December soon turned into January, then quickly into February and business at Weasley Wizard Wheezes went on as usual. George's visits to the Apothecary slowed to once every two and a half to three weeks since people were not exactly rushing out to buy Canary Creams to give to their significant other on Valentine's Day. Frequently, he found himself coming up with lame excuses to go buy various herbs and potions, but Fred never fell for them. The only spare time he ever had was at lunch and by that time he was starving.

Today was no different. Twelve o'clock rolled around and his stomach was rumbling rather loudly as he waited for Fred to get back from his lunch break. However, this time he planned to apparate into the apothecary and see if Padma would like to join him.

Bored, he twirled a quill between his fingers and watched the lone customer walk around the store. The store was always empty at this time. George was beginning to wonder why they did not just close up for an hour to go to lunch. At the most they would miss two sales.

The horn hanging from the door let out a squawk as Fred strolled in lazily, doggie-bag in hand.

"I recommend the new café next to Olivander's," he groaned, leaning against the wall, "Positively corking good food. I feel like a stuffed toad."

"What'd you order?"

"Chicken sautéed in pumpkin sauce," he held up the bag, "I brought back some to enchant and send to Ron and Hermione. He's planning a special dinner and I think it might be humorous if the chicken had a mind of its own."

"How do you plan on getting the chicken to their dinner table?"

A mischievous gleam filled his eyes. "The master never reveals his secrets."

George laughed. "Just don't forget to put a viewing charm on the room so we can see what happens."

            Padma stared at her sister angrily, gripping two glass vials tightly in her hands

"Parvati, this is the fifth time you've canceled lunch on me in two weeks!"

Parvati shrugged apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Padma, but it's really important. I promise I'll make it up to you. I'll come see you tonight."

By the end of her statement, she was pleading with Padma to forgive her. Whatever it was, it did actually seem to be important. Maybe this time she was not ditching Padma to have a romp in bed with Ernie.

"Fine, I'll see you tonight."

Relief spread across Parvati's face.

"You're the best, but you wouldn't have to depend on me for a social life if you would just get out more."

Padma opened her mouth to inform Parvati that she had no interest in having a social life like hers, but Parvati was already gone. She sighed and carried the two glass vials to a shelf in the back. She and Parvati were growing further and further apart every day.

There was a loud pop right beside her ear. Startled, she screamed.

"Oops," George laughed, "I meant to arrive at the front door."

"Merlin's beard!" she exclaimed, gasping for breath, "You almost landed on me!"

He grinned and leaned jauntily against the counter.

"Would it make up for it if I asked you to join me for lunch?"

            The café was crowded and millions of tiny pink hearts darted around the room in honor of the upcoming holiday, but it still maintained a pleasant atmosphere. They were seated right next to a window where they could watch the crowds walking past. George had taken Fred's advice and ordered the chicken sautéed in pumpkin sauce. Padma, a vegetarian, had ordered spaghetti in a vegetarian meat sauce (Something Padma considered an oxymoron).

She twirled the noodles around her three-pronged fork.

"Do you ever feel like Fred is growing away from you?" she asked.

He raised his eyebrows. "No. I mean, he spends loads of time with Angelina, but we work together and live together." He took a bite of chicken. "Does this have to do with Parvati?"

She grimaced at the sight of half masticated chicken. "Of course. Lately, I find myself being pushed aside so she can be with Ernie. They've been married half a year, but we're twins!" He nodded for her to continue. "We were supposed to have our own shop and live together. Now I'm working at an apothecary and living in a flat in a building in the middle of a street filled with pubs and strip joints!" She stabbed at a mushroom in the sauce, frustrated.

An errant heart flew in front of his face and he swatted it away.

"I'm sure she still cares about you, it's just that …What did Mum say about Bill and Fleur…they're still in the Honeymoon phase. Give them time to adjust to this and everything will be back to normal."

"Wise words from the former prankster prince."

George raised his eyebrows once more. "I'll have you know that I can still prank with the best of them."

"I have no doubts."

Another heart flew past, narrowly missing Padma's glass of butterbeer. George was tempted to use his wand and send the tiny pink hearts all the way to Egypt. He was sure Bill and Fleur could have fun with them or at least shut them in a tomb. Perhaps Charlie could feed them to his dragons.

"I meant to ask if your cousins enjoyed their gifts."

Padma let out a slight laugh. "According to Holly, Marigold has missed at least eight Divination classes with Trelawney since they went back. And at least one Fainting Fancy has been slipped into Snape's food. I'm still not sure how that was accomplished."

George frowned. "And we missed it."

_A short chapter, but I apologize. I have work so it's hard to find time to write._


	6. A Good Valentine's Day Gone Bad

_Holly: _I updated as soon as possible. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the others.

_Miss Pixie: _I love your name. And a story needs charm. I'm glad mine has it.

_Film-chickie101:_ Hopefully this chappy is just as human.

_LMTran: _Wow, I think that was the longest review I ever received. Those were great suggestions and I tried to keep them in mind as I wrote this installment. This chapter is definitely longer. Hopefully it's coherent because the only time I have left for writing is in the early am and late pm. Thank god for revision.

**Disclaimer: **Wow, Potter doesn't belong to me. Whoever could have guessed?

**__**

**_A Good Valentine's Day Gone Bad_**

Valentine's Day was the ideal day to go to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch. The only people in the place were a few singles who had nothing better to do than get drunk. It was the best place to meet someone on that day. It was this place that Parvati suggested for them to meet for lunch when Padma received an owl from her early that morning begging to see her.

Padma had already ordered a butterbeer and was sipping on it while reading a copy of the Daily Prophet. She was so engrossed in an article about removing Cornish Pixies humanely from one's cupboards, that she did not even see her sister enter.

"I'm late," Parvati groaned, sinking into the chair across from her sister.

Padma looked up from the article and glanced at the clock on the wall.

"No you aren't," she told her, "If anything, you're five minutes early."

"Not that kind of late," Parvati hissed.

"Then what on earth are you talking about?" Padma asked, frustrated with her sister's cryptic speech, "Late to return something, late to work, what?"

Parvati rubbed her temples. "For a Ravenclaw, you can be really dense sometimes. I'm talking clean out the spare room and paint it late."

The Daily Prophet slipped from Padma's hands and fell to the floor, forgotten, and all of her anger at her twin from the past few months melted away into joy.

"Parvati, that's great! I always wanted to be an aunt!"

"Well that's all well and good," Parvati replied, taking a sip of a glass of water that had been set in front of her by a waitress, "but I'm more worried about how Ernie is going to feel about this. We wanted to wait at least two years after we got married to start a family. It hasn't even been one year."

It looked as though Parvati expected her whole marriage to fall apart simply because she was going to have a baby earlier than planned. Padma, however, knew better.

She squeezed her twin's hand reassuringly. "Ernie will be thrilled. You both wanted a family; you're just getting an earlier start than you planned."

Parvati seemed very hopeful at the thought.

"You really think he'll be happy?"

"Yes, and if he isn't, I'm sure George would love to have a new test subject…"

Parvati let out a short giggle. "Thanks Padma. You always know how to make me feel better."

"What else are twins for?"

It was George's personal opinion that Valentine's Day was the slowest day of the year. Of course, any guy that wanted to get _something_ from their significant other was not going to give he/she a chocolate that turned his/her hair a very neon shade of green. In the spirit of the day, Fred had taken the day off to spend with Angelina, leaving George bored out of his mind in a nearly empty store.

He alphabetized and re-alphabetized their stock of ingredients in the back. Then, he checked the aisles to make sure everything was in its rightful place. After that, he _willingly_ tested all of their products for effectiveness.

It was while his hair was a shocking shade of periwinkle and his freckles an electric lime green that Fred popped in, a broad smile on his face.

"She said yes!"

George looked up from the mirror he was inspecting his reflection in.

"Said yes to what?"

"I proposed," Fred said, his frustration evident in his voice, "like I told you I was going to."

"Ah, putting on the old ball and chain then."

"Ha ha, very funny."

George chuckled, "I thought so. Do Mum and Dad know?"

"Not yet," Fred picked up one of the half-eaten Coloring Candy Canes and tossed it in the bin, "We decided to tell them at Sunday brunch. Take care of the whole family in one sitting and all."

"Good plan. That way someone will be around to catch Mum when she faints," George joked, referring to the incident when Ron had told her that he had proposed to Hermione just after Bill and Fleur had announced that they were expecting a little bundle of joy. It had been nearly half an hour before they managed to rouse her.

It fell silent for a brief moment before Fred decided to change the subject.

"Have you found a date for the Jokes, Pranks, and Practicals dinner in two weeks?"

George slapped his forehead. With all that had been going on around him for the past few months, he had completely forgotten about the annual dinner and ball. The year before he had taken a friend of Penelope's from St. Mungo's, but the evening had been a disaster and Penelope refused to speak to him for almost a week. This year he would have to take someone with at least a vague idea of what to expect.

"Completely forgot," he grimaced, "Think Oliver would let me borrow Katie for an evening?"

"Nope, he knows us too well. And let's not forget what we did at his birthday party," Fred grabbed a few Skivving. "Anyways, I need to get back to Angelina. I promised her I'd only be a few minutes."

"Fine," George grumbled, "leave me to die of boredom and loneliness in an empty joke shop."

"I knew you'd understand."

With those last words, Fred disappeared with a pop and George was once again by himself. He grabbed another Candy Cane and stuck it in his mouth. When he removed it, his freckles began changing colors from an electric lime green to a fascinating fuchsia to a brilliant bright blue. It was really quite stunning.

There was a squawk from the door, and George looked up half expecting Fred to have come back in with a list of stock that needed to be refilled, but instead he saw Padma, her robes pulled tightly around her body. She looked every bit as happy as Fred had when he apparated in.

"For a single girl on Valentine's Day, you look happy," he teased.

She smiled broadly and leaned against the counter. Her eyes fell on his rather _interesting _appearance.

"If you weren't a Weasley, that look would worry me."

"I'm testing our products, but that's beside the point," he said, "I want to know what has put you in such a wonderful mood."

"If you absolutely must know," she feigned exasperation, "I have the day off _and _Parvati thinks she's pregnant."

"Today must be a lucky day because Fred finally asked Angelina to marry him, and she actually said yes."

"That's fantastic!" She picked up a Candy Cane and began to unwrap it, but immediately remembered where she was and who had probably made it and put it back down on the counter. "I honestly don't think today could get any better."

"Really?" George raised his eyebrows, "Well, I know the Yule Ball with Ron all those years ago wasn't exactly the best time of your life, but I swear this will be different. What would you say if I asked you to the annual Jokes, Pranks, and Practicals dinner?"

That evening, Padma found herself digging through her tiny closet for her good dress robes. She had nearly told George no. After all, it was a dinner devoted to practical jokes. But, he was a good friend and had promised nothing permanently life scarring would happen.

Robe after robe was tossed onto her bed. George might have been just a friend, but she still wanted to look smashing when she went out. Finally, she gave up and went to fix herself a drink.

The fire in the fireplace suddenly roared up as she walked past, and Parvati tumbled out.

"I hate traveling by floo," she grumbled, dusting the ashes from her clothes.

"Then apparate," Padma replied and helped her to her feet.

"I can't. Apparating is dangerous to unborn children."

Padma squealed with joy.

"So it's official! How far along? Have you told Ernie?"

"Two months, yes, and," she lowered her voice for effect, "he's thrilled beyond words."

Padma squealed again and hugged her carefully.

"This is so great, you're pregnant, I get to go to a fancy ministry sponsored dinner…"

"What?" Parvati interrupted her, curiosity peeked "What ball? Who are you going with? And most importantly, is he hot?"

"The Jokes, Pranks, and Practicals dinner with George."

Parvati's jaw dropped and she looked at her sister carefully for any sign that Padma was toying with her mind.

"Weasley? You have to be joking."

"No."

"A fancy dinner with a Weasley after the Yule Ball incident with Ron," she rubbed her temples, "I know I suggested that you get out more, but I didn't mean for you to commit dating suicide."

Her voice was overflowing with disappointment and disapproval. It was then that Padma finally snapped. All the anger that had built up over the months, the anger that she thought had dissipated earlier that day, came flowing out of her.

"For the love of Merlin!" she yelled, nearly knocking over a vase, "I am an adult! This means I can make decisions for myself! And if I want to go somewhere with _a friend_, I have every right to!"

Parvati stepped back, looking as though she had been slapped across the face, but she quickly recovered.

"_A friend, _and Ernie is just a pet!" she screamed back, "This is severe masochism, Padma!"

"Just because you're married and pregnant doesn't mean you know what's best for me!" Padma responded, "I'm sick of you and Ernie's fucking charity!"

"We're just trying to help you!"

"Well I don't need your help!"

Parvati turned on her heels and grabbed a fistful of floo powder from the canister by the fireplace. In a whoosh of green flames she was gone. Padma was left standing there, panting furiously with anger. She kicked the dilapidated oak coffee table and stalked off to her bedroom, tears pricking her eyes.


	7. Brunch Surprises

_film-chick101: This chapter is just for you ; )_

_Holly: No fair! I don't get to see POA because I have to save up money. Let me know how wonderful it was. Rupert's hair is just begging to be cut, but my sister LOVES it._

_Natasha: I try to keep some humor in my stories. It can't all be angst I suppose._

_MANY thanks to my other reviewers: **zeynel, Ailiria-Delasting, **and** AmyFire. **You inspire me to continue with this story._

****

**Disclaimer: **Alas, Harry Potter is not my property. I've simply borrowed the characters for my own amusement. I'll return them in a few months…maybe.

**_Brunch Surprises_**

It was very early morning when George's alarm went off, informing him that he needed to be at Sunday brunch in a little over an hour. Fred had begged him to be on time this weekend for moral support when he and Angelina announced their engagement. Not that they would need it. Molly Weasley would be thrilled with the news that the family would be extending even further. Besides, a Weasley wedding practically guaranteed another grandchild for her within two years.

He stretched his arms and yawned, not really feeling like going to watch his mother fawn over his brother. It was not the he was not happy for his brother, he was just, well, a little envious. Usually, it was their siblings that were being fussed over while they stood off to the side and came up with a way to liven up the occasion. He could not very well do it by himself, especially not to his own twin.

The alarm clock continued buzzing until he reached over and slapped the off button. It was very tempting to simply roll over and go back to bed instead of bothering to go to another brunch where he would be constantly asked when he was going to bring someone. Even Ginny had Harry there despite not being present herself.

"You're _not _out of bed!" the alarm suddenly screeched.

He found himself being tossed from the bed and onto the dusty floor as the maroon window shades shot open, allowing sunlight to stream into the room.

"Maybe because I don't _want_ to be out of bed," he retorted grouchily, "I'm not exactly in the mood to be quizzed about when I'm bringing some to brunch like everyone else."

"Oh stop whining," his mirror sighed, "I'm tired of listening to you complain about it. Have you ever considered taking a friend? For example, that Patil girl you _always_ talk about."

George rolled his eyes.

"I do not _always_ talk about her."

"Really," the mirror sniffed tempestuously, "You spent two hours just last week struggling with your hair because you were going to the apothecary, and then you moped around all evening when you found out she had the day off."

"But…I…she…it," he sputtered.

"Exactly."

He picked up a nearby book, prepared to throw it at the obtrusive wall object, but thought better of it when he remembered that magical mirrors could not be broken. The book would only be deflected back at him, and he was not interested in explaining a massive bump on his head. Instead, he retreated to his bathroom to shower, rubbing his stiff neck as he went.

"Just think about it," the mirror called after him.

Padma carefully cracked an egg into the ceramic bowl while a metal Pampered Witch eggbeater mixed it into the dough. This morning she had awoken with a distinct craving for Belgian waffles. It had been months since she had eaten one although part of her suspected she was suffering from her twin's cravings.

She poured the dough into a waffle iron, and then pushed it to the side while she dug through her refrigerator for a carton of strawberries she had bought the day before. The fruit, however, seemed to have disappeared or been nabbed by the ghoul living in the apartment next door.

Her refrigerator was like a bottomless pit. All the food she could possibly think of was in there except for the strawberries. The waffles were pushed to the back of her mind while she waded through the edibles until the distinct smell of burning food flooded her nostrils.

"Oh bloody hell!" she yelped as she saw the dark smoke wafting up towards the ceiling from the waffle iron.

She grabbed her wand from her back pocket to turn off the appliance and then attempted to open it. The blackened waffle was stuck to both sides beyond any hope of removal.

"I hope your flat doesn't always smell like this."

It was a good thing she was used to people popping into her flat unannounced or she would have dropped the appliance on her toe.

"Only after I burn waffles," she told George, who was standing in the kitchen doorway, "I suppose its cold cereal again today."

"You're in luck," he grinned, "I've come to invite you to the weekly Weasley brunch, complete with waffles."

The destroyed waffle iron was tossed into the bin under the sink along with the leftover waffle mix.

"I suppose a good warm home-cooked meal would be nice considering what I eat every other day."

The Weasley household was filled to the brim with people and Padma found herself constantly reciting names in her head to keep them all straight. The eldest, Charlie was there with his muggle wife, Hannah, and two year old son, Caleb, who was chasing the cat up and down the stairs. Bill was the next oldest and his wife, Fleur, was four months pregnant and relaxing in a chair. Percy, who she remembered vaguely from Hogwarts, was next with his three month pregnant wife, Penelope, a former Ravenclaw that Padma knew well. Fred and Angelina were there and she had been instructed not to breathe a word about their engagement. The engaged Ron and Hermione were helping to set the table. Harry was in the living room speaking with Mr. Weasley. Ginny was the only member not present as she was still in school.

She had been instantly welcomed into the home and bombarded with questions about why she was there. George had fended them all of, reminding his family repeatedly that she was just a friend with pathetic cooking skills and needed a good hot meal. Mrs. Weasley was all too happy to oblige.

The talented woman stirred and flipped and sifted, all while asking Padma what kinds of food she liked. Padma delicately told her that the Patil family was strictly vegetarian due to their ethnic background, but Mrs. Weasley did not lose a step. She told Padma that it was no bother, she would just make more non-meat items and Padma could feel free to forego the few meats that were served for the men.

During this inquistion, Padma observed George's family. Charlie delighted in showing everyone that his son was already showing magical prowess while Mr. Weasley asked Hannah about her Muggle family. Ron and Harry were busy discussing Quidditch.

"Overwhelming isn't it?" Penelope asked her.

Padma smiled.

"I'm not used to so many people," she answered, "but they seem so loving."

"They are. I'm sure you'll fit right in." The insinuation about Padma and George was obvious.

"We're just good friends," Padma repeated for what felt like the umpteenth time.

"Just like Ron and Hermione," the blonde whispered.

Padma flushed and turned her attention to Fred and Angelina who stood apart from everyone else until brunch was ready.

It was when the meal was finally set on the table and everyone seated, that Fred spoke up.

"Before we dig into this delectable meal Mum has prepared," he said over the roar, "Angelina and I wanted to make an important announcement."

The kitchen grew quiet. Angelina stood up beside Fred and took his hand in hers.

"We're getting married."

The room erupted into roars as Molly Weasley burst into tears. She hugged her son tightly and sobbed about "losing another little boy." Mr. Weasley finally had to pull her away from Fred so he could offer his son congratulations. The room had become a cacophony of noise as everyone hugged the happy couple and expressed their good wishes towards them. Finally, everyone managed to calm down enough to return to their seats.

"This day couldn't get any better," Mrs. Weasley sighed, dabbing the corners of her eyes with her napkin.

A small smile played across Penelope's lips and she stood up. Percy looked at her questioningly.

"I was going to wait until later," she said softly, "but I suppose now is as good a time as any."

There was another hush.

"I saw the doctor again yesterday," she continued, "We're having twins."

Percy's fork clattered to the table.

"Twins?" he murmured weakly, his eyes moving from his wife's stomach to Fred and George.

There was a pause and then a thud as Percy fell from his chair to the floor.


	8. Pranks, Jokes, and Practicals

_phoenixdreams: _Weasley twin pairings are SO much fun to write, too.

_jasara: _I really tried to write Fred and George as individuals so I'm glad you see them that way. I'm glad you check on my story everyday, too. I'm very proud of Percy's reaction.

_film-chick101: _I'm glad you loved that chapter. I really enjoyed writing it. I am paying close attention to you. You review quickly and leave good suggestions. You're reviews help keep me writing.

_Xtreme Nuisance: _I'm glad you like the pairing and the ending. It was fun to write, too.

_Narikia: _No problem, it's been a pleasure to write.

_Kat Solo: _I try to keep it humorous.

_RaspSun: _I'm glad it's believable. That was a little worrisome for me since everyone like for George to be with Alicia.

_kalira: _Can't you just see Percy fainting over that though?

**__**

**Disclaimer:** Potter is not mine. He belongs to Rowling.

**_Pranks, Jokes, and Practicals_**

Several open makeup containers littered the small counter in Padma's bathroom. She was frantically attempting to finish getting ready by the time George arrived to pick her up. There had been a rush at the Apothecary fifteen minutes before she was supposed to leave and Mr. Swarthmore had been unable to let her leave on time. Instead she left nearly an hour late, giving her only half an hour to get ready.

It was at times like these that she was especially grateful to be a witch. Her long hair could be put into an elegant French twist and her dress and robes ironed with just a flick of her wand, saving her at least twenty of those minutes. She wished that makeup was just as easy. The last time she had tried to use magic to apply makeup, she ended up looking as though she had been trapped in an explosion of blushes, creams, and eye shadows.

Carefully, so as not to accidentally poke out her eye, she applied the black eyeliner she had bought two days earlier for the occasion. This attempt was nearly ruined when she heard a loud crash from her living room and jumped, just barely missing her cornea with the pointed tip.

"You're early!" she yelled in the direction of the crash.

"Sorry," came the reply, "My flat was boring."

"Well, just give me a few more minutes."

She hurriedly finished with her face and rushed back into her bedroom to pull on the emerald green dress and matching robes that she had borrowed from Penelope. Sophie, her new grey tabby kitten, jumped onto her bed and arched her back lazily.

"How do I look?" Padma asked of her pet.

Sophie's tiny mouth opened wide into a yawn, showing her miniature pointed white teeth.

"Gee, thanks."

A portrait of her great-aunt Niti had been watching, however, and did not hesitate to give her opinion.

"Oh, you're going to knock poor Mr. Weasley dead," she sighed, "He won't know what hit him."

"I was looking for presentable," Padma said wryly.

The portrait shook her head. "I believe you were looking for stunning, gorgeous, or so beautiful that George will whisk you away to his house so you can…"

"Hush, Niti," Padma hissed between clenched teeth to the perverted portrait, "I want no such thing. We're just friends."

"Oh, pish tosh. Parvati is right, you know?"

Padma ignored her and tossed Sophie a small ball with a bell inside it before making her way to her living room where George was waiting. He was standing at the mantle looking at a picture of Padma's family at her grandmother's most recent birthday.

"Big family," he said, placing the picture back on the mantle.

"Most of that's extended," she told him, "Cousins, aunts, uncles, and all. The only time we all get together is grandmother's birthday." She reached for her purse on the coffee table. "So where to exactly?"

"Actually," he chewed nervously on his lower lip, "I was hoping that we could walk. It would give us some time to talk and catch up."

She paused for a moment. "Oh. Okay."

"You really should find a flat in a better area of town," George said as he looked at the row of pubs and the occasional drunk wandering around, "This place seems kind of dangerous."

Padma rolled her eyes. "I'm a big girl now. I can take care of myself. Besides, I can't really afford much better with an apothecary's salary."

"You could always come and work for me and Fred," he suggested, "We can afford to pay you well."

Her heart sped up a bit at the thought of working with him and she forced herself to take a deep breath.

_Stop it Padma. You do not like George._

"That's all right."

"Oh."

George mentally slapped himself for sounding disappointed.

_Stop it George. You do not like Padma. You do not like Padma. It's just because Fred keeps teasing you…_

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked over at her. The slight breeze was blowing two loose delicate tendrils of her hair into her face and the setting sun lit up her face just right.

_All right, maybe I like her a little._

"How's your family?" she asked, "I haven't seen any of them except Fred since the brunch."

He snapped back to attention.

"Pretty good. You should come back sometime. But I should warn you, things are a little hectic with Ron and Hermione's wedding being so close."

"Weddings tend to do that."

They walked in silence for a moment, George watching her carefully from the corner of his eye. She pushed the two tendrils out of her eyes. Suddenly, he began to really notice the differences between her and Parvati. Parvati had always been giggly, full of gossip, and downright silly from what he remembered of her from his Gryffindor days. Padma was full of intelligence with a completely different sense of humor, witty and occasionally sarcastic. She was a little shorter, a little plumper (but by no means fat), a few scars still remained from pubescent acne that were carefully covered with a small bit of makeup. She was by no means the "pretty twin," but at that moment he thought she was downright beautiful.

_Maybe I like her a lot._

The hall the Ministry had reserved was completely full with the owners of every joke shop in the Wizarding world. They quickly found their seats with Fred and Angelina near a window. George, attempting to be a gentleman, pulled out her chair for her.

"Took you long enough," Fred teased, "Stop for a snog?"

Padma could feel her cheeks heating up and began repeating her new mantra over and over in her head.

_I do not like George. I do not like George…_

Angelina slapped the back of his head.

"Oh leave them alone."

Padma nodded to her gratefully and took a sip from the water glass that had appeared when she sat down. The room buzzed loudly with conversation and the occasional squawk or gasp as people became the victims of the latest pranks.

"I'm starting to feel a little paranoid," she commented as the man on her left turned into a very brightly colored parrot.

Fred shrugged.

"Just watch your food and drink like a hawk and you should be alright."

"And don't drink anymore water," George added, looking at her nose.

She caught her reflection in the silverware and was not pleased to discover that warts were growing on her nose. George handed her a small toffee and glared at his brother.

"I told you not to test anything on her."

Fortunately, the toffee was very effective and the warts disappeared within seconds. Padma felt her nose very carefully to make sure there were no left over spots or pock marks. When she was completely satisfied that her face was the same as it had been when she arrived, she picked up her menu to order, dismayed to discover that everything contained meat.

"George, they don't have anything for vegetarians."

He refrained from slapping himself in the forehead. He had completely forgotten to send in a request for a vegetarian option.

"We could split the chicken pasta alfredo. I'll take the chicken and you can have the pasta."

"Sounds like a plan."

Fred shot Angelina a quick look that simply said, "I told you so."

The first few hours were filled with eating and chatter about the latest products on the market. The toffees Padma had helped to invent were a favorite amongst the guests and George enjoyed introducing her as the one the product was named after. Then, someone cued up the band. Fred grabbed Angelina's hand and dragged her out for a dance. George looked at Padma nervously.

"Would you like to dance?"

She could feel her face heat up and her heartbeat speed up once again.

_So maybe I have a teeny weeny crush._

"Sure."

He led her out onto the floor and awkwardly placed one arm around her waist and held onto her hand.

"I'm not very good at this," he admitted sheepishly as he accidentally stepped on her toe.

"That's alright. I'm not either. The last time I danced was with Roger and he was busy staring at Cho."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not," she told him, "If we hadn't broken up I'd probably be some boring housewife right now."

"I don't think you could ever be boring."

The song changed to a much slower one. Her heart was now beating so fast she was surprised it had not burst out of her chest. He began to pull her closer.

Someone tapped on her shoulder.

"Excuse me."

Padma turned around to come face to face with Amanda Zonko, the niece of the owners of Zonko's.

"Could I cut in?"

Before Padma could answer, Amanda had whisked George away from her to the middle of the dance floor, chattering about how much she loved the Weasley's store and how brilliant they were. Padma plopped down into an empty seat and gritted her teeth, seething with anger…and jealousy.

_Maybe I like him a lot._

**Well, I hope everyone liked this chapter. I'm sorry it took o long to get it up, but it is longer than normal. Anywho, I know some of you read my first story: Fly Away. I got a lot of good reviews and many requests for another OW/KB story. I have a new idea for one, but I'm not sure if it would make for a good story. If you're interested in hearing about it, drop me an email and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Also, I'm in the market for a beta reader. My last one has disappeared. So drop me a line.**

** Arianna**


	9. Revelations

_Triss Marigold: _Thank you, thank you, thank you! I hope this chapter is up to your standards.

**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I don't own Harry Potter. The genius JK Rowling, however, does. I am not affiliated in any way with the people connected to Harry Potter.

**__**

**_Revelation_**

Padma stared into the small antique store at her sister, who was carefully placing a customer's purchases into a large yellow paper bag. With grim determination, she forced herself to walk inside to the front counter. Their fight had gone on for much too long, in Padma's opinion. Most of their arguments lasted hours at the most, but never this long.

She waited patiently for Parvati to finish with the long line of customer's before approaching. Parvati's eyes opened wide with surprise at the sight of her sister.

"I'm sorry, Parvati," Padma blurted out, "Because you were right."

The look on Parvati's face turned from surprise to confusion.

"Right about what?"

Padma sighed and began to play with a quill that had been lying on the counter.

"About George and I. As much as I don't want to admit it, I like him…a lot."

Parvati's eyes began to twinkle and a smile stretched across her face.

"Padma, that's wonderful!"

"Wonderful?" Padma exclaimed, tossing the quill down in frustration, "How is it wonderful? I have a crush on my best friend!"

"In case you haven't noticed," Parvati said impatiently, "George fancies you, too."

"He does?"

This was not what Padma had expected to hear. If anything, she thought Parvati would gloat with the usual "I told you so" and then comfort her for her unrequited crush, assuring her that there would be other boys. But it gave her a small glimmer of hope.

"Do you think that if I told him…"

"He'll be thrilled," Parvati answered before she could finish her question, "You'll end up dating for a few years, getting married, and then popping out a bunch of kids."

The reply was met with a glare.

"I get it, Parvati. I'll go tell him."

George stacked the boxes of Puking Pastilles against a back wall of the stock room. His mind, however, was not on his work. It was focused on Padma and the look on her face as Amanda Zonko dragged him off for a dance. For a brief second he could have sworn that she looked almost jealous, but the look was fleeting and soon gave way to anger and boredom. Amanda had ended up monopolizing his entire evening, not allowing him to return to Padma until it was time to leave. By then the damage was done. The walk back to her flat was dead silent. He was positive that if she had actually been close to having deeper feelings for him before the evening, the possibility was gone by the time she was home.

"George!"

He was torn from his thoughts and jumped, disturbing the already precariously positioned boxes. The stack toppled over, the boxes landing all over the dusty floor. A few of the boxes burst open and the chews spilled out, making them too dirty to sell and essentially worthless. A days worth of work had just gone down the drain.

"Bloody hell, Fred!"

"Don't blame me. You're the one who was daydreaming."

George muttered a few choice words under his breath as he picked up the dirty pastilles to throw in the bin and began restacking the boxes that remained undamaged. Fred had disappeared back into the showroom, leaving George, once again, alone with his thoughts which quickly drifted to Padma and the various ways he could apologize for the disastrous evening. If nothing else, they could still be friends.

There were several options, but none of them seemed right. Flowers and sweets were overdone and not to mention mostly used in _romantic_ relationships. Free WWW products were useless since she did not typically go in for practical jokes. Taking her to her favorite restaurant was too date-like.

He placed the last box in the stack and checked to make sure they were well-balanced before going to join Fred. It was quite a shock when he saw that his twin was talking with Padma at the front counter. She did not look upset, but that could have been because she was talking to Fred instead of George. He would just have to bite the bullet and risk certain death to apologize and repair their friendship.

"Hello, Padma."

Her head jerked away from Fred to face him.

"I need to talk to you," they said at the same time.

She laughed anxiously and bit into her lower lip.

"Do you mind if we go outside?" he asked, eyeing the mass of customers.

"Oh no, not at all."

He took her hand and led her out the door and onto the sunny Diagon Alley streets. There were not too many people walking about much to his relief and most of them did not so much as glance at the two of them. Now he would not have to drag her around town in search of privacy.

"Padma," he said nervously, "I'm really sorry about the dinner. I didn't mean to abandon you."

"It's all right."

"No, it's not," he stated, "You deserved much better treatment than that. I chastised Ron for months about the way he treated you at the Yule Ball only to treat you the same way. I just hope you can forgive me."

"I do forgive you," she assured him, "but there's something I need to tell you."

"Okay."

Suddenly, she seemed very interested in her fingernails which he noticed were clipped perfectly without a hint of nail polish on them.

"You see, I, well, what I mean to say is," she stammered.

He took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Whatever it is, you can tell me. I swear I won't laugh."

She took a deep breath.

"Look, it's just that at the dinner last week I...I realized…"

"George!" a very high-pitched feminine voice suddenly called out, "George Weasley, is that you?"

Amanda Zonko rushed across the street and flung her arms around George. Padma glared at her.

"Oh George, I meant to owl you all week," she continued, her voice having the effect of fingernails on a chalkboard. She released him from her grip. "You were that girl he was with at the dinner, right, Panama?"

"Padma," she corrected her.

Amanda ignored her and continued speaking to George.

"Like I said, I meant to owl you all week, but I was so busy. How about lunch at Moonlight and Star Beams so we can catch up?"

Padma held her breath and attempted to send George telepathic messages.

_Don't go with her. Please, don't go with her._

"I..."

"Wonderful," Amanda squealed, "It was nice to meet you, Parminder."

George cursed Amanda in his mind. He did not want to go out to eat with her, but she had railroaded him. Padma had been trying to tell him something, but Amanda had interrupted before she could finish. He managed to look back at her as Amanda dragged him down the street. Her face carried a mixture of anger and sadness. His heart sank clear to his toes. He would have to talk to her after lunch and attempt to fix everything.

Padma slammed the door to the Apothecary behind her as she returned from what she considered almost a complete waste of her lunch break. On the one hand she had made up with her sister. On the other hand, George was out with Amanda Zonko. She desperately needed some firewhiskey, but would have to settle for butterbeer.

_"Accio butterbeer!"_

The bottle hurtled off the shelf and flew at Padma's head. She ducked and just narrowly missed being hit in the head as the bottle slammed into the wall behind her.

"A little emotional," Mr. Swarthmore commented, peeking out from his office, "I take it that your visit to your sister did not go well."

"Actually, it went fine," she told him, "except that she convinced me to tell someone how I feel about him. I didn't get to finish before we were interrupted by Amanda Zonko. Now he's out with her." She groaned. "I suppose I should be thankful that we were interrupted before I could humiliate myself."

"Not when George likes you as well."

Padma raised her eyebrows.

"Who said it was George?"

"If you two were any more obvious the other customers would start complaining."

Her cheeks flushed.

"Just give him some time, Miss Patil, everything will turn out right in the end."

George managed to reach the Apothecary just as Padma was locking the front door. She stopped when she saw him. He motioned for her to join him outside. Reluctantly, she stepped out.

"I'm sorry about what happened earlier," he apologized, "I didn't want to go but she didn't give me a chance to say no."

"Did you at least have fun?"

"No," he snorted, "Amanda is a boring conceited prat."

Padma appeared to be very relieved at that statement.

"So what were you going to tell me?" he asked.

Her heart began to pound furiously. It was now or never. At least now she knew he was not enamored with Amanda Zonko.

"I like you," she blurted out, "a lot."

There was dead silence for a moment.

"Damn it," she groaned, "I knew I shouldn't have said anything, but Parvati and Mr. Swarthmore were sure that…"

She was interrupted as his lips were pressed against hers. All thoughts were immediately washed from her mind except for the fact that _she was kissing George Weasley._ It was every bit as wonderful as she had thought it would be. A strange tingle spread through her body from her head to the tips of her toes. She wondered briefly if he was feeling the same thing.

It was all too soon when he pulled away.

"That was nice," he gasped.

"Yeah."

Suddenly, she felt very shy even though talking to him had always come easily in the past. He rubbed at a colored spot on his arm from a potion he had been working on earlier.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," he said.

"Right, tomorrow."

He turned to walk away, his body filled with a warmth he had never felt before. Padma liked him.

_**I know some people were looking forward to tension between George and Padma before they could get together, but I just didn't see it happening that way. I'm still looking for a beta-reader. I think my work would be a lot better if I had one so please let me know.**_


	10. Clarification

_Glittergrll4142:_ Aw, thank you. A beta-reader reads over stories before they are posted to look for grammatical mistakes and critique the work.

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and affiliates are not mine and I have in no way profited from this story.

**__**

**_Clarification_**

One week later and Padma was still giggling like Parvati when she found out that Ernie liked her. But for once she did not care that she seemed as immature as her sister because _she kissed George. _It did not matter that Fred came in to make the week's purchases instead of George since he was away trying to complete a merger. Nothing could take away the fact that _she kissed George, _well, George kissed her, but she was not letting minute details get in the way of her joy.

There was a definite difference in her attitude that everyone, including Ernie, noticed. It was when she flounced, yes, _flounced_, into the antique store on Saturday to meet her sister for lunch that Ernie commented on her improved mood.

"Who cast a cheering charm on you?" he asked, eyeing her suspiciously as though at any moment her mood might change and he would be hexed clear into the next store.

"No one," she laughed a broad grin on her face, "It's just been a good week."

Parvati immediately squealed.

"Something happened with George didn't it? I knew it!" She hugged her sister. "How could you wait so long to tell me?"

"I've been busy with work," Padma explained, "besides, I'm telling you now."

"But I want details!" Parvati groaned, "Right down to the last freckle."

Padma rolled into her eyes and launched into her story about going to see George at Weasley Wizard Wheezes, Amanda Zonko's interruption, George's apology at the Apothecary, and finally, the kiss.

"How romantic," Parvati sighed, clutching her hands at her chest, "You'll have such a beautiful story to tell, and someone to bring to our family events."

Padma rolled her eyes once more.

"I think I'll wait until we've been together awhile before bringing him to our family affairs." She broke into a grin, "I don't need Aunt Nupur scaring him off with her miniature schnauzer of doom."

"In that case, you better wait until you're married."

George flopped down onto the couch in the living room, grateful to be back from the extended business trip. He had not intended for it to take as long as it had, but the owners of the other joke shop were a little reluctant about selling despite being deeply in debt. After a week he finally managed to convince them that the store's only hope for survival was to join with the Weasleys.

Lying there in complete silence, his mind was able to drift off to his other thoughts, one of those being about Padma. The last time he had seen her; he had kissed her and then left. There had been no time to discuss what had happened between the two of them, and he was almost positive that Padma was as confused as he was. Now, he wanted clarification of what the whole thing meant for them.

Just before he disapparated into thin air, he wondered how she would react to his just popping in.

Padma dropped the bags of groceries on her kitchen counter and grabbed a pan that was hanging on the wall to make some tea. There was a loud pop right beside her. Startled, she let out a small scream and whirled around, hitting the person in the stomach with the pan.

"Bloody hell," George groaned, doubled over, "If you didn't want to see me, you could have just said something."

"Oh!" she gasped, tossing the pan to the counter, "I am _so_ sorry, you just scared me half to death."

He took a few more gasping breaths and managed to stand up straight.

"Great Merlin, I just wanted to talk to you, about, well," he nervously adjusted his collar, "you know."

Her eyes widened.

"You don't regret it do you?"

"No, no," he assured her, "I just wanted to make sure you didn't."

She smiled brightly.

"I do believe that I was the one to make a declaration of love."

George laughed.

"Very true."

Suddenly, Padma felt incredibly awkward. She twisted the ring on her finger around anxiously.

"So…"

"What does that kiss mean for us?" George finished quickly, beginning to flush.

The air was starting to feel warm all around Padma and the collar of her shirt felt uncomfortably tight. She had assumed that it meant they were going to start a relationship. It never occurred to her that he might not be thinking the same thing.

"Well, I…I guess I hoped that it meant we were…more than friends…maybe?"

A broad grin stretched across George's face.

"I kind of like that idea."

It was late when George returned home that evening. Much to his surprise, Fred and Angelina were there boxing up some of Fred's belongings.

"Out visiting a certain Patil twin?" Fred asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

George could feel a familiar blush begin to creep up his neck. He needed to stop doing that every time someone gave salacious hints about Padma especially since they were now in a relationship. He was a Weasley twin after all.

"Yes, not that it's any of your business."

"Of course it's my business," Fred told him, "I'm your twin and I'm concerned for your welfare."

George sighed and disappeared into the kitchen for a butterbeer.

"How exactly are you concerned for my welfare?"

"Well, its Padma Patil," he explained, "She was a Ravenclaw prefect. I need to make sure that she's not as stuffy and pompous as a certain Big-headed HeadBoy."

George rolled his eyes.

"Padma is _nothing _like Percy."

"Yeah, with her you can…"

Angelina slapped the back of his head and gave him a warning glare.

"Do not for one second even fathom contemplating thinking about finishing that sentence."

George sniggered softly to himself as Fred looked at his fiancée, offended.

_**I'm still searching for that Beta-reader. Don't be shy. I don't bite...hard.**_


	11. Picnicking With Nessie

_The Dark Flame: _I'm going, promise.

_Narikia: _Flouncing just seemed so appropriate. The update took so long because, well, I had writer's block which seriously sucked. But I'm back now.

_DramaTized: _Thanks for the suggestion. I hope I managed to add more detail in this chapter.

_Ellsie: _A beta-reader reads over an author's work to catch mistakes and make suggestions on how they could improve it.

_searching4romeo: _Wipes away a tear. Wow, that was a beautiful review. I feel the same about stories where people fall in love over a weekend. It just doesn't typically happen that way, especially with two characters who didn't really know each other before. I hope this continues to meet your expectations and keep reading!

**__**

**Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Harry Potter or the author.**

****

**_Picnicking with Nessie_**

The house was blissfully quiet as George quickly dug through the fridge for picnic items. It seemed to him that every date felt like the first despite Padma's assurances that one mistake would not send her running for the hills. He wanted desperately to impress her each day he spent with her and that included cleaning the house he still shared with Fred, learning to cook the most difficult Indian cuisines, and even popping into the Apothecary with a small gift once or twice a week. Padma complained that he was spoiling her, but he would merely reply that she deserved to be spoiled.

He cast a cooling spell over the basket to keep the deli meats and drinks cold until they arrived at their destination. After much discussion with Fred for ideas, he had decided to take her to Loch Ness which she had mentioned being fascinated with during one of their lunch dates. Oliver had been kind enough to agree to apparate out there and set up for the two.

The cuckoo clock above the fireplace mantle struck 12:00 and a yellow feathered bird shot out.

"Six o'clock!" it squawked, "Soon your sexy lady will be her to…"

George swatted at the canary with a nearby pan. Apparently, Fred had managed to charm a vast majority of the household appliances to shout out various lewd phrases about Padma. Earlier the shower had asked him if he wanted cold water this morning.

The canary blew a raspberry at him and disappeared back into the clock.

"Bloody clock," he muttered, vowing to take revenge on his brother when he had a chance.

But revenge plots would have to wait for at that moment Padma popped into the living room of the Jokester Joint.

"George?" she called out, looking around the empty room.

"Right here," he stepped out of the kitchen with the picnic basket in hand.

"Ooh, what's in the basket?" Padma asked, grabbing for it, but George was quicker and pulled it out of her reach.

"It's a surprise," he told her, "just like the location."

She sighed and placed her hands on her hips.

"Then just how do you propose I floo there?"

"Weren't you good at divination?" he teased.

She laughed good-naturedly and threw a couch cushion at him.

"That was Parvati and you know it!"

"No, I'm pretty sure that you were the one that looked up to the old fraud."

He used his free arm to grab her around the waist and hoist her over her shoulder. She shrieked and began to pound him on the back with her fists, "George, put me down this _INSTANT_!" but she was not really upset with his behavior. They played this game all the time and she had come to expect to be carried to all manner of places.

He grabbed a pinch of floo powder from the tin bucket hanging on the wall next to the fireplace.

"Haverford!"

If there was one form of travel that Padma wished she could rid the world of, it was flooing. Half the time she ended up tumbling out of a fireplace completely disheveled and the other half of the time she got motion sick. Today was the former, making her incredibly grateful that she had chosen to wear trousers instead of a skirt.

"Good form," George joked, stepping out of the fireplace behind her, "but your landing needs a little work."

She stuck her tongue out at him and he rolled his eyes.

"Real mature, Padma."

"This from the man who gave his older brother fuchsia hair the day of his wedding simply because he accidentally broke your broom."

George began to chuckle loudly earning a stern glare from the shopkeeper whose fireplace they had come out of.

"I do believe that's our hint to get out of here," George whispered in her ear.

He placed his free arm around her waist and guided her out of the store. Once outside, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket.

"To make sure that you don't peek," he informed her.

She allowed him to tie it around her head so that the world was pitch black.

"You're going to have to hold our basket so I can guide you along," he said.

She nodded. The wicker basket was soon placed in her arms and she felt two hands take her by the waist and gently push her forward. One would think that it would be a bit unnerving to be unable to see and have to trust another person to help you walk an unknown distance to an unknown destination, but not to Padma. This was George, and she knew she had nothing to worry about. She would trust George with her life.

George guided her carefully along the cobblestone path, looking just barely ahead to make sure that not a stone was out of place putting Padma in danger of tripping. He always had this overwhelming urge to protect her when they were together even if it meant taking on Lord Voldemort himself.

After a mile, they came to the top of a hill and the lake came into full view. One could even see the table and candles Oliver had set out under a tree. The sun was just beginning to set, but Oliver had convinced a group of faeries living nearby to help light the area around the tree by flying just out of sight with the faerie lights. George pulled the cloth from Padma's eyes.

"Oh!" she gasped, her mouth forming a perfect O, "Is this…Are we…"

He nodded and she immediately flung her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his.

"This is absolutely perfect."

She suddenly took off running down the hill. "Race you!" she called out over her shoulder.

"Hey!" George exclaimed, "You cheated!"

He took off running after her, determined to make up the difference. Fortunately, Padma's legs were considerably shorter and he had caught up to her in no time. She ran all the way to the end of a pier and stopped. George was not so lucky. He tripped over one of the wooden planks and fell headfirst into the water.

Padma burst into giggles and had to set the picnic basket down for fear of dropping it. George's head popped above the water, sputtering. His red hair hung limply into his eyes with beads of water rolling down his cheeks.

"Think this is funny, do you?"

She nodded, doubled over with laughter.

"Well how about this?"

He grabbed her hand and tugged causing her to lose her balance and tumble into the water beside him. An icy chill shot through her body as she hit the water. It was extremely cold.

"How dare you!" she choked out between coughs, feigning anger.

George's face went white.

"I…I…I didn't…"

A broad grin spread across her face and she dunked him below the water. He soon returned to the surface, spitting out mouthfuls of water, a look of shock encompassing his face. Then, he smiled. Gently, he pushed her wet hair away from her face and then gave her a soft kiss. Everything, including the chirping of the birds, suddenly seemed to be far away, almost like they were in another time and place. Then, she was pushed under water.

They continued this game for awhile, until the sun had sunk well below the horizon. Completely bedraggled, they pulled themselves from the water and staggered to the picnic table with their basket.

"You'd think that with all the splashing Nessie would have at least taken a peek," Padma giggled.

"Forget Nessie," George grumbled, "I'm starved."

He pulled off the lid and his face fell.

"What is it?" Padma asked.

He pulled out a sandwich that had frozen into a block of ice.

"I used a cooling spell, but I guess it was too strong."

Once again, laughter shook Padma's body as she tried to hide her chuckles.

George stuck his tongue out at her.

"Well, I suppose I've ruined dinner."

Padma wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek.

"Forget dinner. The sky is clear and the stars are out."

"Perfect for stargazing."

They sat there for hours amongst the twinkling lights of the faeries, their clothes still damp. It seemed to George that the stars had never been so bright.

**Wow, now there was some fluff. Anywho, read/review and let me know what you think. And don't you think Narikia did a FABULOUS job as beta-reader… oh, wait, you didn't see the first draft. Thank Merlin for small favors.**

** Arianna**


	12. Divination Junk

**draco and me 14142: **I'm glad you like fluff, because this chapter has a bit more.

**Queenofsprites: **Well, I've updated. I am SO flattered you think this is one of the bests.

**searching4romeo: **I have ditzy moments all the time. The only girl to ever cause problems for George and Padma is that annoying Amanda Zonko.

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter is, unfortunately, not my idea. It belongs to Rowling who, unfortunately, I do not know.

**__**

**_Divination Junk_**

"Stop blinking," Parvati said with frustration as she attempted to put eyeliner on her sister, "or I'm going to poke out your eye."

Padma huffed and forced herself to keep her eyes open. The last thing she needed was to attend the Weasley-Granger wedding at George's side with an

eye-patch. On the bright side, everyone would assume it was George's fault in some way, shape, form, or fashion.

"Sorry," she apologized, "I'm just really nervous. This is George's extended family I'm meeting. What if they don't like me?"

The last part came out as more of a wail that caught the attention of Sophie. Tired of being ignored, the kitten sauntered into the bathroom and clawed at Parvati's leg. Parvati was forced to stop what she was doing and push Sophie away.

"Relax," she told Padma, "because if you don't you're going to end up how I did when I met Ernie's parents: accidentally turning their couch into a man-eating slug."

Padma let out a small laugh.

"You're right. I just need to relax."

Parvati squeezed her hand.

"Don't forget that he has to meet our family at the reunion in July."

Padma grimaced. Her family was not what one would consider normal, even in the Wizarding world and this was including the few muggles that had been added by marriage. She wished that she could just skip the reunion, but everyone was expecting her and this new boyfriend they had all heard about.

Parvati finished Padma's face with a bit of powder and some pumpkin flavored lip gloss and struggled to her feet.

"Done. You look beautiful."

Padma turned and studied herself in the mirror. Once again, Parvati had worked wonders with Padma's face. It gave her just the bit of confidence she needed and George's family suddenly seemed less frightening.

"Thank you _so_ much."

"What are twins for?"

            George tugged at the tie dangling from his neck. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get it to lay straight. He suddenly found himself wishing that Ron could have married someone whose family was not muggle so that he could have worn his dress robes and not bothered with ties and suit jackets that would be uncomfortably warm. He was, however, looking forward to seeing her dressed in traditional Indian garb. She had already shown him the sari and choli she planned to wear and explained the significance of the bindi.

He checked his watch and realized that if he did not hurry, he would be late and resigned himself to letting Padma fix the troublesome tie when he arrived to pick her up so that they could take the portkey to a wizard pub beside the chapel.

Padma was still in her bedroom, finishing dressing when he arrived with a pop so he took a seat on her sofa to wait. Sophie immediately jumped onto his lap.

"Hello, Sophie," he said to the tiny animal, "Do you happen to know if Padma is almost ready? I would hate to be late for my brother's wedding."

"Oh keep your shirt on."

His jaw dropped as she entered the living room. The purple cloths she had shown him the previous week had looked nice on their hangers, but on her they were beautiful. The choli was only a simple deep purple shirt, but the matching sari was draped around her body revealing a bit of her midriff and her navel. The bindi was nothing more than a small red dot placed in the middle of her forehead.

"You look…wonderful."

She flushed.

"You look nice, too. Are you ready to go?"

"Of course, I can't wait to get there."

She eyed him suspiciously.

"Turn out your pockets."

His eyes widened as though that might lull her suspicions, but Padma knew better. She remembered hearing about what happened at Bill and Fleur's wedding. It would be just like him to pull something similar at Ron and Hermione's.

"I will not have you ruin this wedding." She reached into his pockets and pulled out several canary creams, some skiving, and one of her toffees. "And if you were thinking of slipping this into Harry's food before his speech, you were sadly mistaken."

George watched Ron and Hermione share their first dance as husband wife at the middle of the dance floor as he poured punch for him and Padma. Despite not being one for romantics, even he had to admit the wedding was beautiful, despite the lack of practical jokes. Padma seemed to have enjoyed it, too, even with her case of nerves about meeting his family.

He took the punch filled plastic glasses over to Padma. She accepted hers gratefully and took a short sip.

"Parvati always said they would be together," she said.

"We always knew, too. Mom said it was inevitable."

"Rather like us," she smiled softly, "Parvati was convinced we would be together, too."

George wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Bloody brilliant, that sister of yours," he whispered in her ear, "Maybe there's something to this divination junk."

She laughed and took another sip of her drink, wishing she could stop time and enjoy the moment forever. Then, their peace was broken by the noise of several distant relatives clamoring over.

"George!" an elderly man wearing a woman's hat exclaimed, "Is this the beautiful young lady your mother has been telling us about? I hope so."

George grinned at her.

"This is her."

"Oh aren't you just the prettiest young thing. You look fresh out of Hogwarts," another woman, who Padma guessed must have married in to the Weasley family due to the lack of red hair, commented.

"And so…exotic," a girl of about eleven, Lianna, added, touching the delicate beading on the sari.

His relatives continued to fuss over Padma for several minutes much to his delight. Yes, she had denied it when he asked, but he could tell meeting his family made her anxious. Not that he blamed her. His family made _him_ nervous and he knew them all. Now she was smiling and talking, relaxed, with even the strangest of the Weasley clan.

His relief would not last long however, for an obnoxious high-pitched squeal from his Aunt Lenore made him cringe.

"Georgie!" she squealed, grabbing his cheek between her thumb and forefinger, "Oh you are George aren't you?"

She released him, leaving a red mark. He rubbed the spot gingerly.

"Yes, I'm George and this is my girlfriend, Padma Patil. Padma, this is my aunt, Lenore."

Aunt Lenore looked over Padma carefully, her eyes lingering at Padma's bare midriff and red bindi. Her lips pursed together in a sour look as though she had been eating an acid pop.

"What, may I ask, are you wearing?"

Padma forced herself to remain calm. After all, the woman had probably never seen traditional Indian garb.

"It's a sari and choli."

"And that red thing?"

"A bindi," George explained, remembering what Padma had told him, "It represents the female energy. It's all traditional Indian wear."

Aunt Lenore did not look pacified.

"Is that an Indian thing, to show off your body, disgracefully? _This_ is a _wedding_ for Merlin's sake!"

Padma was speechless. No one had ever said anything even remotely like that about her clothing on the rare occasions that she did wear it. George saw the stunned look on her face and squeezed her hand.

"Padma," he stated tersely, "is honoring her heritage. If you can not respect that, then I suggest you leave us alone."

Aunt Lenore's face nearly turned purple with anger and her mouth opened and closed several times before she finally managed to speak.

"I…I have _never_ in all my…"

She turned on her heels in a huff and stalked off. The Weasley family members that had been standing there rolled their eyes.

"Ignore her," Ginny told her, "I don't think there's anything wrong with what you're wearing. Aunt Lenore is just a close-minded old biddy."

"That's right," Lianna agreed, "I think you're beautiful."

The cacophony returned as George's family voiced their agreement with Lianna and Ginny. George relaxed as he saw the smile return to Padma's face. Perhaps Aunt Lenore's comments would soon be forgotten.

            Padma yawned and leaned back against George as they sat on his back porch, sipping butterbeers and eating a bit of leftover wedding cake that Mrs. Granger had sent home with them. The reception had ended long ago and Ron and Hermione were probably already relaxing in a posh hotel in France.

"Your family is wonderful," she told George.

He twisted a strand of her dark hair around his forefingers.

"You really think so?"

"Yes, except Aunt Lenore," she made a face similar to the disliked woman's, "You would have thought I was sleeping with the groom."

"I should hope not!" George laughed, "Mum wouldn't like if I turned Ron into a slug."

"Is she," Padma hesitated a second, "Is she a pureblood fanatic?"

George shrugged.

"I've really no idea," he took a bite of the fluffy white cake, "She doesn't like many people for weird reasons. For example, Angelina isn't good enough for Fred because she's colored."

Padma sighed.

"But is it going to matter that I'm half and half? Are they going to care that my mum is a squib? Does it matter that she's British and my dad is from India?"

The questions were shot off in rapid fire, revealing to George that the insecurity was still there.

"Padma," he said gently, "Most of them don't care. And if they do, it doesn't matter because I don't."

A slight smile played on her lips.

"Sometimes I find it nearly impossible to believe that you're the same Weasley who slipped canary creams into McGonagall's mashed potatoes."

**Many thanks to Narikia, my _lifesaver_.******


End file.
